An outing to Portovenere

Since Jim and I are senza macchina (without car), we are trying to do local excursions on public transportation. So last weekend, we took a 20-minute ferry ride from Lerici across the Golfo dei Poeti to Portovenere. This was our second trip to Portovenere, named in honor of Venus, and I'm ready to go again.

Portovenere epitomizes the Ligurian seaside village with its pastel buildings narrowly stacked and pressed against the rocky hillside. It also epitomizes much of Europe with its layers of archaeology. The crowning feature of the village is the church of San Pietro, which was built in 1277 on top of Paleo-Christian and pagan ruins. It's not hard to imagine that over the centuries people would want to have some monument on this rocky outcrop that strategically overlooks the Mediterranean and marks the entrance into Portovenere's safe cove. As religious beliefs changed and battles were waged, temples were destroyed or dismantled and new ones were built in their place.

Since the dogs were with us, we decided to take a smaller ferry boat to Isola di Palmaria, so that we could walk them off leash on this less populated island. Unfortunately, nesting sea birds and terrain that was marked by shrub-obscured cliffs kept the dogs on the leash much of the time, but we were able to let them off-leash for a bit...a rarity these days. The walk around the island took 3 hours, including lots of stops to check out WWII gun bunkers, paleolithic cave dwellings, and stunning views of the sea.

Back in Portovenere the village was packed with tourists off of two cruise ships. We walked a little ways out of town and found a quite bar where we had sandwiches and beer. We spent the rest of our time watching people and practicing il dolce far niente...the sweetness of doing nothing.

A country home

You don't have to go too far from Lerici to get more elbow room, but if Jim was going to have a longer commute, we wanted to find someplace special. As soon as we cast the house-hunting net a little wider, we found that special place near Falcinello, a hill town outside the city of Sarzana. Like all of the hill towns in this area (and there are many), Falcinello is stunningly beautiful from a distance and quaint up close.

The drive to the house was mesmerizing. We turned off the main road onto a small side road that leads to Falcinello. Then, we turned off the side road onto what I would call "a lane" and started climbing. Fifteen minutes and 13 switchbacks later, we came to the end of the road. The owner, who was in the car with us, was slightly nauseous from the windy road, which might explain why she is renting the house. At one of the tightest switchbacks, the real estate agent had to back up half way through the switchback to make the turn. Of course, many would find this drive unthinkable on a daily basis, but Jim and I were fascinated. Just driving to and from the house would be an adventure!

At the end of the road, the house sits on the crest of a hill with distant views of the Mediterranean and expansive views of the countryside. It has pine trees on one side and olive trees on the other. We saw signs of owl and wild boar. The property was so peaceful compared to the bustle of Lerici.

And then there was the house: a turn-of-the-century stone farmhouse that has been lovingly restored by the granddaughter of the former owner. The house is just the right size (2 bedroom, 2 bathroom, living area, dining room, large kitchen, sitting room, garage, and cantina, which is a small room in the basement that seems like it should store wine). Outside there is a wide terrace that is shaded by the house from the afternoon sun. Jim and I didn't debate the house for long.

Everything about it felt right and although it was a bit remote, it was full of the Italian character that we hoped we would find. Will the reality of Casa Falcinello live up to our dreams? We'll find out after we move in July 1.

House hunting

The merits of living in town are clear: access to public transportation, restaurants, shopping, and social activities. All of these mean more opportunity for immersion in our new country; more opportunity to learn Italian. So we initially focused our search around Lerici, which is a charming seaside community where we have rented a temporary apartment. We looked at numerous places on the Internet before we came here and in person after we arrived.

Here was the list of requirements I gave to the real estate agents: Minimum 80 square meters (800 square feet); preferred 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom; garden for the dogs; view of sea or countryside; high-speed Internet capable; mostly unfurnished; and full of Italian character. I'm sure the last requirement made the agents smile.

A number of factors made it difficult to find a long-term rental in Lerici. First of all, it's summer, and locals are renting their places as vacation rentals, not as long-term rentals. Second, most properties are apartments, so it's hard to find privacy and peace. Also, properties here are typically fully furnished, which is a problem since most of our household is scheduled to arrive in Italy July 13.

Even overlooking these obstacles, there's Bella and Boomer (aka Bruno). They've adapted quite well to apartment living, probably better than Jim and I. They love to hang out on the balcony and watch whatever is going on in the street. When the neighborhood dogs start howling, Bella and Boomer join in. Bella sniffs her way through town looking for dropped bits of ice cream cone or bread, and Boomer doesn't miss an opportunity to mark a strategic building corner, garbage can, or car tire. We walk with Bella and Boomer in town two or three times a day. This is not a relaxing stroll since we're constantly on alert for approaching dogs and possible altercations. (Most dogs are not neutered or spayed.) We're pulling Boomer away from things he shouldn't pee on, like store vendors' goods that are displayed in the street, and pulling Bella away from everything that has a scent, which to Bella's nose is everything. Despite the constraints of living in Lerici, the dogs are in great spirits. However, it's exhausting for Jim and me to manage them so tightly.

A few of the places in Lerici had small gardens where the dogs could have a bit of green space, but we never found anything that we could afford and that met all of our requirements, including the requirement for "Italian character," so we decided to expand our search.